This Crusty French Baguette is one of my favorite bread recipes I’ve mastered. There is nothing like the smell of bread baking in the oven, is there? I love to serve this bread alongside a delicious, comforting bowl of soup. The key to authentic French bread is the slashes made with a razor–sharp blade. Use a very sharp knife, razor, or a special baking tool called a lame to slash your loaves before baking.
To make this bread, start by making a dough from water, yeast, flour and salt. Leave the dough to rise before dividing the dough into 4 equal portions. Shape each one into a long loaf with pointed ends and leave to rise again until doubled in size. Bake the loaves until they are crusty and brown and sound hollow when tapped.
To make the Crusty French Baguette, you will need the following ingredients:
Place 1 ¾ ounces of warm water in a small bowl and sprinkle 1 ½ teaspoons of yeast on top. Leave until the yeast dissolves and becomes foamy.
Measure 16 ounces of bread flour into a large bowl and stir in 2 teaspoons of salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, and stir in the dissolved yeast. Add the cool water, a little at a time, stirring constantly until a stiff, shaggy dough forms.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave for 30 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Press it into a rectangle and fold into thirds. Turn 90 degrees and repeat.
Transfer the dough to a large oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Leave the dough in a warm place for 1-2 hours until it doubles in size.
Divide the dough into 4 equal portions, and shape each one into a long loaf (approx 15-inches long and 1 ½ inches in diameter), with tapered ends.
Place the dough on lightly greased baking sheets and cover loosely with a piece of oiled plastic wrap. Leave to rest for about 30-45 minutes until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 450 °F. Place a small pan of water at the bottom of the oven.
Sprinkle each loaf with flour. Slash each one 4 times using a lame bread tool, razor, or sharp knife.
Bake the loaves for 30-40 until crusty and brown. Baking time may vary depending on your oven.
Serve with soup or simply slathered with butter, hot from the oven.
This Crusty French Baguette is a delicious recipe for making tasty French bread at home! Just don’t forget to post your photos on social media with the #cookmerecipes hashtag.
I used this recipe recently and it worked perfectly! Thanks!
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